Starting Over
by Zorotaku
Summary: Hannah Rose Bower is a normal teen living in a tiny mountain town longing, for a new start. When her wish comes true, it's not what she expected. Now Hannah has to navigate life in Konoha, dealing with ninjas, drama, a new bakery, and a very hungry orphan. Is her new life among the Hidden Leaf shinobi better than her old one?
1. Chapter 1

A soft breeze danced through the trees and carried the scent of wood smoke and roasting meat with it. The fragrant smoke wafted up through the canopy of leaves and dissipated into the afternoon. Such a scene would have been idyllic if Hannah had known where exactly she was, but she didn't. She was also alone and being hunted by a small group of strangely dressed men. They wore all black with the exception of the white and red masks covering their faces, which bore vague resemblances to animals.

All Hannah had wanted to do that morning was go shopping. The kitchen was completely bare and she needed new jeans, so she thought she could take the time after school to pick up something for dinner on her way back home. Well, that plan had gone up in smoke the minute she turned into the forest to take her usual shortcut to the local mom and pop shop. The woods crept right up to most of the buildings on the edge of town, including the only grocery store they had, which made cutting through the trees the fastest way to get to it from the school. Unfortunately, Hannah had tripped in an uncharacteristic bout of clumsiness and fell into a stream.

She had lived in that town her whole life and knew the surrounding forest like her own yard for twenty miles, and never once had there been a stream in the woods behind the school. Hannah had sat in the water for a minute fighting an inexplicable bout of nausea before standing. Her backpack pulled at her shoulders, making her wonder if the contents were dry. She heard muted voices as she climbed out of the shallow ravine the streambed wound through, but the words were completely alien to her. They sounded angry, from the way the words hissed out of their mouths, yet it was clear they wanted to remain hidden as well from the way they whispered. Unsure as to how the strangers would react to her presence, Hannah crept up to them as quietly as she could, which was difficult to do with her bag.

The sight that greeted her was terrifying. Four masked men were standing in a semicircle around a fifth man tied to a tree trunk. The fifth man wore no mask; in its place was a simple headband with a small sheet of metal secured to it. There was a symbol etched into the headband, but Hannah couldn't make sense of it. She couldn't make sense of anything that was happening, not until one of the masked men pulled out a strange knife and drove it into the bound man's throat. She crouched, frozen in horror, as she watched him bleed out. He looked up and met her eyes through the leaves, just for a second, before his head slumped forward. It was only for a moment, but it was long enough to alert the masked men that something was there, and three of them turned to look in her direction.

Hannah panicked and bolted away as they took a step toward her hiding place. She heard shouting as she sprinted deeper into the forest that was all wrong. They were the wrong types of trees, the wrong undergrowth, the wrong moss and insects, everything was wrong. This wasn't the forest she had grown up in, and that made her panic even more. She didn't want to have to spend the night in this unfamiliar forest, but she also didn't want to get caught by those masked murderers and be subjected to who knows what. She desperately wanted to find a town, preferably her hometown, so she could report the masked men to the police and maybe have someone collect the body of that poor man they had killed so coldly.

She spotted a wayward pine, which seemed very out of place in a coniferous forest, but dashed inside anyway. She slid down the side, sides heaving as her lungs filled with ragged gulps of air. She closed her eyes and started counting, trying to get her breathing under control and wrestle away the panic. She sat there for what seemed like hours, counting to herself in the silence of the pine.

Eventually, she heard more voices nearing her hiding place, making her heart stutter in fear. Refusing to let panic take control of her this time, she took a deep breath and slipped out of the pine's hollow interior. The voices were getting steadily closer, urging her to rush, but she tamped down her impatient fear and slunk around to the other side of the pine, away from the approaching people. Hannah chose a sturdy tree with dense foliage and scaled the trunk like a squirrel, where she found a comfortable nook overlooking the potential campsite near the pine she had previously vacated.

The owners of the voices finally appeared. One kept his face almost completely covered with a mask, his white hair standing up around his head in spiky disarray. His arms were bare down to the gloves covering his palms and wrists, and he wore all black save for a dark green vest. The other wore a bright green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers, with the same dark green vest as the other. They both had the same headband that the dead man had worn, though the jumpsuit man had his around his hips like a belt where the white-haired man wore it drawn down over his left eye.

The duo looked to be coming back from a recent trip, with heavy packs on their backs and a few stains on their clothes. It seemed they had opted to travel on foot rather than use a vehicle, which confused Hannah. There were faster ways to get from point A to point B, such as a car or plane.

 _Why would they deliberately choose_ _to trek through the woods when they could_ _have taken a faster and safer route?_ Hannah's thoughts trailed off as she watched the two strangers.

Even though it was still fairly early in the afternoon, the two men began setting up camp right where Hannah had predicted they would, stowing their packs inside the wayward pine. The jumpsuit wearer disappeared into the tree line, presumably to find either food or firewood, while his white-haired companion set up a firepit. The mundanity of the action was soothing, almost making Hannah forget what had happened only an hour before. But her gaze kept going to the headband he was wearing, and the dead man's face kept flashing into her thoughts when it did.

Hannah began to worry whether the two men were safe, and what connection they had to the man she had seen murdered in cold blood. The jumpsuit man came back with two rabbits and a bundle of sticks tucked under his arm. She sat back into the nook and settled down to watch the two set up the rest of their camp. Her general unease persisted into the night as she watched the two friends interact and chat. She did her best not to move so they wouldn't find out she was there, but her back was beginning to hurt and her legs were going numb. She had secured her backpack to a branch just above her head with a short rope and some carabiners she had on hand.

Her father had always insisted that she be prepared for any survival situation at any time, and now she was grateful he had been so anal about it. Half of the stuff in her backpack was either specifically for or could be used for survival in extreme situations, and the rest of it was schoolwork. In total, it had to weigh a good thirty pounds, and it was a pain to haul around even if it did build up her back.

Hannah dug a bottle of water and a granola bar out of her bag and pulled her knees up to her chest in an effort to get the blood flowing properly again. She ate in silence as she watched the men below her bank the fire and prepare for sleep, wishing she could join them without seeming suspicious. It wasn't like she could just drop down from her tree and tell them she was being hunted by murderers and thought that they might also be in danger, then curl up by the embers of the fire and go to sleep like nothing was wrong. That was also assuming that they spoke English, which wasn't likely from what she'd seen so far. She sighed and leaned her head back against the rough bark, eyes closed.

If she really thought about it, the day hadn't been all that bad. While she had witnessed a murder, and was now hiding in a tree fearing for her life, she couldn't help but think that this was better than her usual routine. She was having an adventure, albeit a frightening one, and was curious as to how things would turn out. It was better than being home with her abusive family, playing the role of housemaid, chef, and punching bag.

 _Why do they do that to me anyway?_

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until a branch caught her across the cheek as she fell from her perch. The bark scraped her face raw as she tumbled to the forest floor and landed with a muffled thud. Her breath was jolted out of her and she lay blinking the stars from her eyes. She almost missed the slight rustle of moving clothes over the sound of her laboring breath. She clambered to her feet as quickly as she could, the scenery swirling unsteadily as she straightened up.

The men she had been watching were crouching by the fire's embers, the dim light doing little to illuminate anything. She could see they were holding something in their hands, probably weapons like the one she had seen used earlier that afternoon. Scared and still struggling to breathe, Hannah bolted back up the tree to retrieve her backpack. These men were clearly capable of handling themselves and were now hostile towards her. She needed to get away from them before they figured out she wasn't an animal and tried to hurt her. Her fear taste bitter in her mouth as she undid the knots keeping her bag strapped to the tree. Once again, she found herself thanking her dad's insistence on being prepared as her deft hands made quick work of the complex knotwork.

She shrugged into the shoulder straps and turned to jump to the next tree, hoping to get ahead of them before they could pinpoint where she was in the branches.

Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky. Hannah gasped as she found herself face to face with the white-haired man, still wearing his mask even in sleep. She recoiled and leaned too far back, thrown off balance by the extra weight of her backpack, almost falling again. She collided with the jumpsuit wearer, saving her from another tumble to the dirt below, but was now trapped between the two of them like a rabbit. Now that she was face to face with them, she could see that they weren't much older than she was. They looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, which made her wonder even more why they were hiking through the woods like eighteenth century fur trappers.

White-hair spoke, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. It was that strange foreign language again, unlike anything she had ever heard before, and it frustrated her that she couldn't explain anything to them. White-hair seemed to be smiling, but it was clear he didn't think she was a friend. The weird knife in his hand was clearly visible and the grip his green-clad friend had on her shoulders was bordering on harsh. He was almost glaring at her, his mouth set in a hard line and his bushy eyebrows drawn together. He looked much scarier than his white-haired friend.

"I don't know what you're saying to me! Please, I don't mean any harm, I just...I'm scared, and...and lost. I don't know what to do anymore."

Hannah finished in a small voice, her gaze sliding down to the ground. Her eyes started misting up, and she angrily scrubbed away the tears before they could fall. She winced as her sleeve dragged over the raw flesh of her cheek, reminding her that of the way she had awoken them. The duo looked at each other over Hannah's head, understanding the tone of her voice if not the words she said. She looked like she was trying to shrink into herself, and her hair fell into her face. With a shrug, the white-haired one hopped down to the ground, making is companion call out to him grumpily.

He huffed and gathered Hannah into his arms, making her squeak in surprise, before following his friend to the ground. He was already talking to his friend heatedly as he set her on her feet, but the white-haired man didn't seem to care as he stoked the fire back up. All he did was grin back at him and shrug again. Hannah would have laughed at the exchange if she hadn't still been afraid.

Mr. Green, as Hannah had begun to think of him, looked at her and gestured to the fire. Unsure of what he wanted, she stood there and gave him a confused look. He rolled his eyes in response and placed a hand on her backpack, using it to guide her over to the fire and sit her down. She flushed as she realized how stupid she had just made herself look and focused on her hands in her lap, wringing them worriedly. A hand under her chin made her look up into Mr. Green's face, and his expression seemed softer than before. He held a damp cloth to her face and gently cleaned the dirt and bark from the scrape on her cheek. He seemed hyper-focused on the task, so Hannah kept quiet. He was taping a bandage over the small wound when he finally spoke again.

" Might Guy."

Hannah looked at him blankly. He said it again, this time pointing to himself and grinning. Understanding dawned then, and Hannah returned his grin with a small smile of her own.

" I'm Hannah Bower," she said, pointing to herself the way Guy had. His grin widened and he pointed to his friend this time.

" Hatake Kakashi."

At the mention of his own name, Kakashi smiled behind his mask and waved at her. She slowly began to relax as exhaustion crept over her. Kakashi and Guy didn't seem the least bit tired as she yawned behind her hand. Something kept nagging at the back of her mind, but she was too tired to focus on what it was.

She heard rustling behind her, but ignored as the wind teasing the trees. It wasn't until Kakashi stood up that she thought to check behind her. To her horror, there stood one of the masked men from that afternoon. Hannah sprang to her feet and almost fell into the fire in her clumsy attempt to bolt. Guy caught her before she could do more harm to herself, but he didn't let go of her, much to her discomfort. She laid her hand over Guy's on her bicep, hoping he would understand what she wanted and let go, but he didn't seem to notice. His gaze was fixated on the masked stranger standing less than thirty feet away,

Kakashi started toward him, and Hannah couldn't help but call out and reach to stop him. She would have tried physically blocking his path, but with Guy holding on to her arm she couldn't go very far. She started to panic again, terrified that Kakashi was going to be killed by the masked stranger the moment he was close enough. This time she couldn't tamp down the fear choking her, and she started tugging at her arm in Guy's grip. She didn't make a sound, despite being very clearly distressed, afraid that she would draw the other three killers to them.

Kakashi stopped only an arm's length away from the masked murderer, the two looking at each other in silence. The eerie quiet stretched between all of them for what seemed an eternity before the masked man broke it. It was a greeting, and a warm one at that, like he and Kakashi were old friends. A shiver ran down Hannah's spine as she watched Kakashi and the masked man clasp forearms. She looked slowly to Guy, who appeared to be completely at ease, and felt her stomach drop to her feet. Her gaze wandered around the campsite, searching for signs of people in the shadowed undergrowth. She no longer registered the voices of Kakashi and the stranger, unable to hear past the blood rushing in her ears.

Then she heard her name, and focused back on Guy. He looked concerned, and she couldn't blame him. She knew she looked as pale as a ghost right then, but couldn't find the will to reassure him. She didn't know how the night was going end for her, and terror clawed at her heart. She almost wished she was back home with her brothers and her dad. At least those were demons she knew how to handle.

The masked man stepped around Kakashi and began walking toward her, one hand kept low and slightly hidden behind his thigh.

Hannah ripped her arm out of Guy's hand and practically flew across the space between her and the trees. Something tugged at her backpack, nearly pulling her off of her feet, but she just let the straps slide roughly down her arms and kept running. The undergrowth kept tugging at her face and clothes as she dashed carelessly through the woods. She ran as fast as she could, vaulting fallen trees and small boulders in the dark as if she could sense them ahead. She refused to slow or stop for any reason, nearly plowing into a cliffside before turning aside and sprinting along its base.

She almost missed he crack in the solid stone, but caught the edge as she passed by, scraping off a few layers of skin in the process. The crack was just wide enough for her to squeeze through, as scrawny and underfed as she was. Her ragged gasping echoed too loudly in the silence of the stone passageway. It stretched on into complete darkness, but Hannah would gladly face whatever was in that cave rather than the masked men that were friends with Guy and Kakashi.

Guy and Kakashi. Just thinking about them made her want to cry. They had seemed like good people, they had been friendly, but now she saw that it had all been a lie. They must have been sent by the masked men to lure her out into a trap. Well, they had underestimated how capable she really was in the woods. This may not be her forest, but she wasn't going to let some murderous strangers outdo her when it came forestry.

The tiny passage finally opened out into what felt like a vast cavern. The darkness was so complete she could almost feel it pressing in around her. Strangely, Hannah felt like she could finally breathe easily in the oppressive blackness. She took a deep breath and held it for a full minute before letting it out in a rush. She felt for the wall behind her ad slumped to the ground in a heap. Then she finally let herself cry. For the first time since she lost her mother, she let everything surface, forceful sobs shaking her entire body.

She didn't know how long she cried, nor did she care, she just knew that she was exhausted and would need to forage tomorrow. She didn't look forward to it, but she really had no other options now that her backpack was gone. She sighed again and curled up with her back to the wall, waiting for sleep to pull her away from her current nightmare, just like every other night since her mother's death.

Hannah's heart beat loudly in the silence of the cave, complemented by the soft rush of wind through the crag she'd used to enter. The adrenaline finally wore off and she drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

What little light that managed to find its way into the cave was unable to illuminate anything of importance. The floor within ten feet of the cramped entrance was dimly lit, but the light failed to reach any farther. Looking directly out of the entrance, the light was much brighter, and Hannah guessed that it was mid-afternoon from the intensity. She really hated the idea of being out in the open woods, thus being in danger again, but her stomach was tying itself into knots from hunger. She had no other option if she wanted a proper meal.

She slowly made her way out of the small tunnel with her heart in her throat, dreading running into anyone from the day before. She carefully peeked around the edges of the stone, scanning the foliage intently for signs of unnatural movement. Once satisfied that nobody had found her yet, she crept out in a half-crouch. She moved quickly and quietly through the underbrush, watching for telltale signs that she wasn't alone as well as anything that she could make a meal of.

Here and there she would find patches of wild root vegetables or mushrooms, and twice found blackberry brambles. Soon she had enough forage to fill her jacket, which she had turned into a makeshift basket. She was filthy and dripping with sweat by the time she reached a crystal-clear stream rushing between the trees. The bed of the stream consisted of thousands of pebbles that had been worn completely smooth by the flowing water. Unable to hide her joy, she grinned widely as she set her jacket on the ground and began pulling out vegetables.

She kept her improvised pack near the water and waded into the middle with a handful of wild carrots. The water only just reached her knees, forcing her to crouch so she could rinse the dirt from the red and yellow vegetables in her hands. She didn't mind it so much, since it gave her a chance to rinse the dirt and sweat from herself as well. The water was cold and refreshing, and chilled the carrots as she rinsed them clean. She ate them as she worked, too hungry to wait until she had washed everything.

Now and then she'd pause and listen, suspicious of the way the rustling leaves sounded. The stress of continuously being on edge was chewing away her patience, and she packed everything back into her jacket the moment everything was clean. She almost missed the soft thump behind her amid the noise she was making. Her head whipped around in time to take a knee in the face from one of the masked murderers. Hannah went sprawling in the muddy bank, the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth.

She scrambled to her knees and whirled to face the stranger circling around her feet. Reaching the limit of her patience and pissed that he'd kicked her, she balled her fist and swung as hard as she could.

"CUP CHECK, MOTHER FUCKER!"

The man fell into a heap, whimpering pathetically as he cradled his groin. His mask had shifted, but it didn't reveal enough of his face for Hannah to be able to identify him. She ignored him and vanished into the brush with her food clutched to her chest.

"Are you going to be alright?" Kakashi asked the Anbu sitting against a tree. His mask was askew and he was breathing heavily.

"She punched me in the dick. What do you think?"

Guy stifled a chuckle and looked away.

"Maybe you shouldn't have scared her."

Guy snorted this time, and the Anbu glared out from his mask as he straightened it. The other three were searching the surrounding forest for any sign of Hannah.

"I hope we find the girl soon. Her chances of surviving out here alone are pretty slim, and the cut on her face could get infected."

"Why should we care about that bitch? I say we let her die out here and be done with her. We'd have to kill her anyway after what she saw." Kakashi stiffened almost imperceptibly at the man's crude comment.

"What exactly did she see?" Guy asked, a frown creasing his forehead.

"We aren't sure. That's why we need to find her and make sure she doesn't speak to anyone." One of the other Anbu strode out of the trees, dusting dirt off of his hands. The comment was directed at his masked companion, discretely chastising his unprofessional behavior.

"She won't be able to tell anyone anything, even if we don't find her. She doesn't speak our language at all. It's possible she's just an unlucky girl that got lost in unfamiliar territory."

"You've always been too soft, Guy. She could have easily been pretending she didn't understand just to throw you off. Why else would she have run last night?"

"It could be because she saw the kunai in your hand. You did a very poor job of hiding it, after all." Kakashi's offhand comment made the Anbu bristle.

"How was I supposed to know she could see in the dark?" It was a poor attempt at defending his mistake, and he knew it.

"Forget about it for now and focus on finding her. Kakashi, we might need Pakkun to track her down."

"That's fine."

He rifled through the pouches at his waist and pulled out a small scroll. It unrolled with a flourish and Kakashi swiped a bloodied finger across the paper. A plume of smoke erupted at his feet, revealing a small pug when it dissipated.

"Pakkun, here. What do you need?" None of the gathered men seemed disturbed that the dog could speak. They seemed to expect it, in fact. The other two men had emerged from the woods while Kakashi had been performing the summon.

"I need you to find someone for me. We can't find her trail ourselves."

Pakkun nodded and padded around the site, his nose low to the ground. It didn't take long for him to pick up Hannah's scent. He nodded back at Kakashi to signal he'd found it and dove into the bushes. The six of them followed closely behind Pakkun as he retraced Hannah's trail. It soon became clear that she was an experienced forester. Even as they followed her scent trail, there was no physical evidence of her passage. She seemed to become a part of the forest itself when she didn't want to be found.

The trail wound its way through the trees, backtracking multiple times with the occasional wide circle. The trail ended at a sheer cliffside covered in flowering vines. Pakkun trotted up to a jut in the wall and seemed to melt into it. He was gone for a couple of minutes before he reappeared, an irritated look on his canine face.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

"It would seem there's an opening in the cliff." Kakashi's bland tone drew yet another smile from Guy as they approached the tunnel Pakkun had uncovered. It was small, too small for any of them to fit through without some serious effort.

"Are you sure she went in there? No one can fit through that crack." It was the same Anbu that Hannah had punched earlier. Pakkun glared at him, and huffed indignantly. Rather than answer him, he turned and disappeared into the tunnel again.

"Pakkun has never been wrong. Hannah is a lot smaller than us, it's possible she can fit through with no problems."

"Then how do you propose we get through, Kakashi? Are we supposed to shrink ourselves down to Pakkun's size?" He gestured to the tunnel, sarcasm dripping from his words like rain water.

"Well. That's one way to do it. I was going to suggest we suck it up and squeeze through, but I think I like your idea more." At this point, Kakashi was deliberately irritating the Anbu for amusement. He had been very unprofessional in his handling of the situation, however, so he had earned some friendly ribbing. He would receive a more serious punishment when he returned to Konoha, but for now the teasing would suffice.

One at a time, they followed Pakkun through the snug entrance, squirming their way deeper into the cave. The dark immediately swallowed them up, almost completely restricting their visibility.

"How the hell are we supposed to find anything in here when its pitch black?"

"You complain quite a lot for an Anbu." This time it was Guy who made the droll comment and Kakashi the one who smiled behind his mask. One of the other Anbu produced a small metal cylinder and pressed his thumb into one end. The other end burst into a bright light with a firm click, blinding the others with the sudden brilliance.

"What is that? I've never seen a tool like that before." Guy leaned closer to inspect the small item in the Anbu's hand, eyes wide in wonder.

"I don' know what to call it. I found it while searching the girl's pack. She had a lot of gear in that little pack, but this was the most interesting."

"You searched her bag?"

"Of course. I had to make sure she wasn't carrying information about us to our enemies. I also found several encrypted notebooks, which will need to be decoded back at the village. It looks like she's using two different cyphers at once."

"Who would have thought that frightened little girl could prove so smart." These unprofessional displays were growing to be expected now. There was very little chance he would continue to be an Anbu after this mission.

"Have you ladies finished with your gossip? The girl's trail doesn't end here, you know." The others turned to Kakashi, who simply shrugged at Pakkun's abrasive behavior. He was effective, not friendly. The man with the light cylinder took the lead, methodically sweeping the beam side to side as the team progressed.

The cavern that they had discovered was massive. Stalactites loomed overhead as stalagmites sprouted up around them, occasionally meeting to form solid pillars of ribboned stone. The entire cave felt damp away from the tunnel and the floor was slick with grime. They would have been able to find Hannah here even without Pakkun's help; everywhere they stepped left a void in the grime coating the floor of the cavern. Her footprints were clearly marked for them to see.

The cave stretched back for a hundred meters before closing in on itself and beginning to slope downward. The ceiling was still several feet above their heads, but was now visible when the light was directed upward. The stalactite and stalagmite pillars increased in frequency here, having a shorter distance to go before meeting together. The footprints in the grime were elongated here, as if she had slid with each step, and there was a large patch of bare stone where Hannah must have fallen.

"Well, she will definitely need a bath when we find her, that's for sure." Guy wasn't the only one to chuckle at Kakashi's cheerful comment. Even Pakkun was amused.

The group cautiously made their way through the new tunnel after Hannah, listening for any sign that she was close by. The floor's slope changed frequently as they moved on, and they encountered several more patches in the muck. It appeared that Hannah had been in a hurry to get as far away as possible, risking personal injury and unsteady footing in favor of speed. They began to lose track of how far into the cavern system they'd gone when the sound of rushing water reached them. It echoed strangely, taking on a hollow feeling as the sound rebounded off the cave walls.

The team began to dread what had happened to the girl as the sound grew louder. The light showed a sharp turn in the tunnel, and the water was louder than ever, roaring angrily in the confines of the cavern. As they made the turn, a cold spray blasted each of them from head to toe.

A powerful river gouged its way through the center of the vast cavern that lay before them. Unlike the rest of the cave system, there were no stalactites dripping from the ceiling or stalagmites jutting out of the floor. It was empty save for the rushing water slicing it in two and the slight figure standing at the hard, stone bank. She stood barely more than ten feet away from the seven of them, filthy and shivering. She turned around to face them, her arms wrapped around her ribcage and hair hanging around her face in tangles.

Her face was devoid of emotion, her chocolate-brown eyes hollow. She stared back at them for a long moment, then glanced at the raging water behind her. Her face when she looked up again was resolute, making Guy and Kakashi uneasy.

She closed her eyes and fell back into the river.

Hannah was completely numb from top to bottom. The icy water sapped all the warmth and strength from her body, and the powerful current dragged her wherever it willed. She could only think while she still had the ability to do so, and think she did. The events of the last thirty-six hours replayed over and over in her mind, and she couldn't help but note every little mistake she had made. The biggest one seemed to be her decision to stay near the wayward pine instead of moving on. Then she had fallen asleep at the worst time and lost all of her gear shortly after that. Then she'd dropped her guard at the stream and earned herself a split lip. Now she was going to drown in an underground river that felt as cold as death because she stubbornly refused to let herself be caught by people who may have been trying to help. Not that she had been able to see them clearly with a flashlight shining in her eyes.

She drifted at the rivers mercy, lost in her own mind for what felt like eternity before light suddenly pierced the darkness. She forced her body to move, swimming toward the light sluggishly. She could have been moving toward the fabled light at the end of the tunnel for all she knew, but she was tired of being in absolute darkness. She gasped as her head broke the surface of the water, unaware of how her lungs burned for air until that moment.

She blinked furiously, eyes tearing up from the sudden brightness of sunlight, breathing heavily. Slowly, Hannah made her way to the riverbank, every part of her body as heavy as lead. She wasn't sure how to feel about whatever miracle had just happened, but right then she desperately needed to get warm and dry. If only she had her fire kit with her, that would have made it easy. She cursed herself for giving up her backpack rather than fight back. It didn't matter anymore that she would have lost, she needed her stuff.

Exhausted and chilled down to the bone, Hannah collapsed on the bank. She heard the faint sound of children laughing before the dark swallowed her up once more.

Hannah woke up slowly, her eyes barely open wide enough to take in the white sheets and tiled room. She heard a monitor beeping somewhere to her right and soft murmuring coming from wherever was behind the only door in the room. She felt warm, dry, and most importantly, clean. She settled deeper into the bed, allowing herself to drift back into sleep to the steady beeping and quiet voices.

She bolted upright in the bed as she realized where she was. She suddenly felt like she was being watched, and looked out the window to her left. She almost couldn't see him, but sitting on a rooftop with a clear view of her room was one of the masked men. That meant that wherever she was, the entire town knew them and worked with them.

Deeply disturbed, she reached over and closed the curtains. Praying that would be enough, she slid off the right side of the bed, pulling off the electrodes connected to the heart monitor. She ripped the IV out of her hand, wincing, and wrapped extra tape around it from the bedside table. Just to be extra sure that he didn't see her through the window, Hannah crouched and snuck underneath it.

Not today, numb nuts. I am so out of here.

She kept herself low to the ground even after passing the window and crept up to the door. She couldn't hear any voices outside anymore and slowly cracked the door open. The hallway outside was completely empty, to her relief, and she quickly slipped outside and closed the door again. She padded barefoot down the hallway, unsure where she was going. She knew she wasn't on the first floor, so she needed to find stairs or an elevator before she could go further.

It took some wandering and a couple of close calls with the random nurse before she found a stairwell. It looked to be an emergency exit, which meant it would go straight to ground level. She hurriedly dashed down the flights, her feet barely touching the steps before moving on to the next. She stopped cold just before slamming through the door at the bottom, taking the time to check for people before going through.

She was glad she had this time. Two men stood at the end of the hall, one much larger than the other and wearing a black trench coat. The smaller of the two looked to be a doctor, but his uniform looked more old-fashioned than what Hannah was used to. They were speaking as they looked at a clipboard, the larger man leaning over the doctor's shoulder for a clear view. After a while, the larger man leaned away and the doctor nodded and gestured to his trench coat. The large man didn't look happy about whatever the doctor had said, but sighed and surrendered the coat. She caught the glint of metal as the doctor handed the coat to a passing nurse and led the large man away.

The nurse disappeared around the corner with the coat while the two men went the opposite direction, clearing the hallway. Hannah took a few cautious steps out of the emergency stairwell to make sure the hall was empty, then walked normally to the end of the hall and followed the nurse. There was a short hallway leading into a foyer that only a handful of people occupied. None of them seemed to notice Hannah, or didn't care if they did. The nurse at the front counter didn't even look up, and the people waiting along the wall hardly spared her a cursory glance.

While a little concerned by how little they cared, she wasn't about to draw attention to herself. Acting normal was almost physically painful as Hannah casually strode up to the coat rack by the door. She forced herself to relax and picked up the trench coat she'd seen the man from the hallway wearing. It was heavy, heavier than any coat she'd ever handled before. She could feel where he'd hidden several oblong items in the inside lining of the coat, and hoped they were things she could use. She quickly shrugged it over her shoulders, immediately swamped by the folds of material. She continued out the front entrance as if she had just finished a routine checkup, feeling the weight of the stolen coat with every step.

She closed the front over her hospital sweats and followed the road to her left. She could hear crowds bustling to the right end of the road, and decided it would be best to avoid people for now. The hem of the coat dragged in the dirt around her feet, almost tripping her when she first left the hospital. She walked briskly, not daring to draw attention to herself by running. The road itself may have been empty as far as she could see, but she knew already that these people used the rooftops like a personal highway. Walking between the buildings made her feel like a doe among deer stands, like she was being watched. She probably was being watched, for all she knew. They'd been trying to keep tabs on her in the hospital after all, so who's to say they didn't already know she'd left.

Hannah could see trees above the rooftops and made her way to the edge of town. It took some more wandering and backtracking before she made it to the wall enclosing the town. Yet another thing that baffled her; why would the town need to be walled in?

Yeah, I am so not climbing that thing.

She huffed and turned right, keeping the wall to her left as she searched for a gate or door in the solid stone. Even a crack large enough for her to wiggle through would suffice. Now and then she'd spot someone at the end of a road as she passed by, her heart jumping to her throat. They never seemed to notice her, though, which she was glad of. Years of being invisible in her hometown seemed to have transferred over to wherever this place was. She smiled to herself, a wry, sardonic little thing that wasn't really a smile.

I guess being the wallflower has a few perks after all.

Movement down a side street caught her attention, making her pause. A small group of kids were gathered around something lying in the dirt, yelling at whatever it was and spitting. She caught a glimpse of blond hair between their short little legs and began fuming. Hannah stormed over, fists clenched tightly and a feral growl rumbling in her chest. The first child she reached went skidding across the dirt road on his bottom, shock etched into his face. The others stopped moving entirely and looked up at her dark face. She towered over the small group of gremlins, standing at five feet six inches tall, and still growing.

Hannah moved as if she was going to attack them and they scattered, some on the brink of tears. The wind whisked away the dirt their flight kicked up. Satisfied that they were gone, she knelt by the little boy they had been tormenting. He sniffled and scrubbed at the mud on his face, smearing it across his cheeks and making a bigger mess. Hannah chuckled softly, making him look up. He had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, but they were rimmed in red from his crying. She carefully took his chin in one hand and cleaned the filth from his face with the coat's sleeve. The whole time the little boy was tense, like he expected her to hurt him too, and it broke her heart.

He was smaller than he should be, and his clothes were in need of a wash. His shaggy blonde hair looked like it had never seen a brush before. He was clearly on his own, completely alone and for some reason unwelcome in the community. She pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him, giving him the same kind of hug that her mother would give her when she was upset. A warm and reassuring hug that made the rest of the world fall away until the only thing left was the warmth of her love. The kind of hug that she missed every day.

He stiffened at first, unsure of what she was doing, but soon relaxed into her and buried his head in her shoulder. His tiny little arms wound around her waist and held on tight. Hannah rested her cheek on the top of his head and sighed.

"I wish I could do something for you. I wish I could help you the way you deserved, but this is all I can do. I'm so sorry life did this to you, kiddo. I know you don't understand my words, but please understand the tone of my voice at least. It won't always be so hard, and if you can make it through this, you can do anything."

She spoke softly, more to herself than the boy in her arms. She sighed and held him away from her, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead before she stood up to leave. He grabbed ahold of her arm through the coat and looked up at her with a serious look on his face. He stared into her eyes for a minute before letting go with a nod. Unable to help herself, she ruffled his hair and gave him a warm smile. He returned it with a wider grin of his own, then dashed down the street toward the bustling square at the end.

Hannah watched him go, then continued on her own exploration of the edges of town. She found the city gate shortly thereafter, relief washing over her tense and battered body. Her pace quickened, rapidly closing the distance between her and possible freedom. Just before she stepped across the threshold, two men swung around the pillars framing the massive gateway. She stopped cold and her shoulders slumped, giving her a defeated look. The pair approached her cautiously, sure that she'd cooperate but wary nonetheless.

When they were within arm's length of her, she sprinted forward between them, sending them sprawling to the dirt. A lifetime of fending off her brothers and their football tactics had taught her a few tricks. They may have been a lot bigger, but she had learned size meant nothing if she was faster. The coat weighed her down considerably, but she was still fast enough to be well into the trees before the two had gotten to their feet again.

The smell of rotting leaves and bark was soothing to her frayed nerves, and she almost caught herself slowing down to enjoy the scenery. The crashing behind her reminded her that she wasn't in the clear yet, and she pushed herself to run faster.

She wasn't fast enough, though. Several men dropped right out of the tree branches arching overhead, including the large man whose coat she had taken. He stood directly in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. He bore two scars across his face, which made his scowl that much more menacing. He reached out and took the back of the collar in hand, yanking the heavy coat over Hannah's head and knocking her from her feet. She felt cold metal fasten around her wrists and was hauled roughly to her feet again. Her hair was in her face, making it hard to see.

A rough hand gripped her chin and forced her to look up into the scarred man's eyes. He was definitely not happy with her, but she still couldn't understand what he said to her as he glared at her. She shook his hand off of her face and glared back at him. This only seemed to amuse him, since he laughed, and Hannah suddenly had the overwhelming urge to spit in his eye. When he bent to bring his face closer to hers, she did, and he stopped speaking mid word. He straightened slowly as he wiped the spit from his face. Silence pervaded the forest around them as the gathered men held their breath.

He barked what seemed to be a command, and an arm wrapped around Hannah's waist. She felt herself hoisted up against someone, and then they were airborne. She squeaked as she was carried into the upper branches of the treetops by whoever had ahold of her. The ground spun dizzyingly far below and she screwed her eyes shut tight. She didn't open them again until she felt solid ground beneath her feet.

The building facing her looked like a maximum-security prison. A shiver went down her spine and she dug her heels into the dirt when someone tried to usher forward. The scarred man simply picked her up again and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. She tried to kick him, but he just grabbed her ankles in a vice-grip and held her still.

This is so undignified.

Hannah blew a chunk of hair out of her eyes and took one last look around before the doors closed in her face. There, peeking around a corner, was the little boy she'd met earlier. He looked worried, but she couldn't figure out why. In an effort to reassure him, though she didn't know why it mattered so much to her, she gave him a big, bright smile. He gave her a timid little grin in return, and that image burned itself into her mind as the door shut with a note of finality.

In a matter of minutes, she found herself tied to a chair bolted to the floor in a room underground. A table stood along one wall, littered with various tools she couldn't name. They looked old and stained, blots of dark brown marring the well-tended metal. The sight of them unsettled her, and thoughts of what they could possibly be for came unbidden to her mind. She was left alone after being secured to her seat, a single lantern hanging from the center of the ceiling.

Time slowed to a crawl while she waited for someone to come to her. The more time that passed the calmer she grew. Glancing at the table of tools stopped making her skin crawl, and now she simply wanted to know what those tools were for. She even started to hum, a soft little thing she'd found on YouTube back home. The song had struck a chord with her, seeming to echo her sense of loneliness and longing. Now she hummed the melody into the empty chamber, the thread of sound reverberating off of the walls.

After the fifth run through, she started actually singing, just barely more than a whisper. The words gave her a sense of peace, and she sang louder. It wasn't long after that when the scarred man finally entered to room, accompanied by two more, both concealing a large portion of their faces. One had bandages wrapped around his head while the other simply hid behind his hair.

The scarred man began talking to her, and Hannah waited patiently until he was finished before she started laughing. The two men behind the scarred man looked startled at her genuine amusement, not knowing how close to being hysterical that laugh really was. She just couldn't handle the absurdity of her situation anymore. All she could do was just laugh. It started soft, barely even a chuckle, but soon grew in to side splitting laughter that had her shaking in the chair. She was bent over her knees as far as her restraints would allow, gasping between fits of giggling. When she could finally breath well enough to speak, she leaned back in the chair and looked the scarred man dead in the eyes.

"Look, I have no clue what you just said to me. I'm sure it was intimidating and all, but I really don't know what you want from me. If I did, I would gladly cooperate, but instead we're stuck here staring each other down like a pair of zoo animals." Hannah slouched down as far as she was able and rested her head on the back of the chair, eyes closed. She was tired again, and getting thirsty.

A hand gripped the chairback beside her head, prompting her to open her eyes again. She met the scarred man's gaze unflinchingly, even managing to look bored while doing so. He wore a scowl like some people wore their favorite pair of jeans. That expression never seemed to leave his face. She cracked a cheeky grin as they stared one another in the eyes.

"Come on, handsome, don't you ever smile? A real, happy smile? I bet it gets exhausting holding that grouchy look all the time." She finished off the bold statement by blowing him a kiss, then leaned her head back again.

She felt him step away, and heard the sound of the door, but didn't bother to see who had stayed. She just did her best to find a semi-comfortable position for her neck while she slept.

"Damn, cheeky, devil of a woman."

"What the hell did she even say? I've never heard anyone speak like that."

"Don't let that faze you. It was likely some code she's been trained to use in the case of her capture."

"Yes, sir." The pair following Ibiki spoke simultaneously and fell silent.

"Where's Inoichi?" Ibiki's sharp tone made his companions jump.

"He's still out on assignment, sir. He isn't expected back for another three days." Kakashi leaned casually against the doorjamb at the end of the stark hallway, a book in hand.

"Hm." That was Ibiki's only response to the news. He brushed past Kakashi and ascended the stairs behind him, skipping every other step.

The rest followed at a slower pace. Once at the top, Ibiki and Kakashi left the building entirely and walked side by side in the street. It was full night outside, and the roads were empty; the best time for discreet business to be handled, some would say. The pair made their way to the Hokage's office in silence.

The massive building loomed over the village like a sentinel, giving the Hokage a perfect vantage point. Rather than enter through the front door, Kakashi and Ibiki leapt to the nearest rooftop, then to the roof just under the window of the Hokage's actual office. While the entire building was commonly referred to as his office, he only really used one room for the purpose. Kakashi and Ibiki climbed through the window, scanning for any unwelcome onlookers as they did so.

"There is a door, you know. Must you climb in through my window?" The Hokage greeted them with exasperation.

"How would you like me to deal with the woman, Lord Third? She doesn't seem easy to extract information from." Ibiki ignored the comment about the window.

"Ever the straightforward one, Ibiki. Very well, then. Kakashi, you've had more interaction with the girl, what would you recommend?"

"In all honesty, Lord Third, I don't think she's a spy. She is skilled, but she was genuinely scared every time I saw her. Perhaps she really is just lost, as Guy said yesterday." Kakashi's response appeared to shock the Hokage. Ibiki watched him from the corner of is eye.

"How do you explain the way she speaks. No one's ever heard or seen the coding she's using."

"I noticed. I've gotten the chance to speak with, or more accurately around her, and she just stared at me. It's possible she doesn't understand what we're saying."

"How can that be possible? There's only one language spoken in the world. She would have had to grow up completely devoid of human interaction from birth to not understand us." The Hokage rested his elbows on his desk and laced his fingers together.

"I'm not sure, Lord Third. It's only a theory, but the evidence strongly supports such a conclusion."

"Are you suggesting we just let the woman leave, as if nothing happened? There is still the possibility that she's acting." Ibiki folded his arms across his chest, watching Kakashi closely.

"Not at all. I think we should try teaching her. If she is lying, we'll find out that way, and if not, we won't have hurt an innocent girl for no reason."

"There's no way that would work." Ibiki snorted derisively and rolled his eyes.

"It may be worth a shot, actually." The Hokage gave Ibiki a wry smile when he turned a sharp look toward the older man.

"Who would take the time to teach her, then? Our academy instructors already have a heavy workload, and the rest of the shinobi aren't qualified to teach a bird, let alone a person." Ibiki seemed determined that Kakashi's idea be rejected.

"I'm sure you will be able to handle such a task, Ibiki. You'd have to interact with the girl anyway, why not spend that time giving information instead of extracting it." Ibiki looked appalled by the idea, but withheld comment.

"Well, it appears the matter has been settled. You do, of course, have full authority to take any action you deem necessary should the girl prove to be a threat. Until then, she is your student. Best of luck to you."

Ibiki and Kakashi saluted the Hokage and left the room the way they'd entered. Hiruzen sighed and lit his pipe, sending a thin stream of smoke toward the ceiling. He leaned back in his chair, his unfocused gaze turned skyward, seeing far beyond the timber and tile of his office.

"Interesting. Let's see how this plays out."


	3. Chapter 3

Hannah was jarred awake by the sound of something big hitting the floor of her cell. She flicked her head forward and saw a table sitting two feet away. The same two lackeys from before were making their way out as the scarred man set a chair at the other side of the table. He dropped a stack of booklets and loose paper onto the scratched wood with a sharp thud that only reams of printed paper can make. His customary scowl looked especially fierce, as if he was deeply unhappy with something.

He moved closer to Hannah, skirting around the table, and freed her hands. Confused, she watched him silently while rubbing at the chafed skin of her wrists. He pushed the table closer to her by another foot, then seated himself on the other side.

"Morino Ibiki." He extended a hand across the table, watching her like a predator.

"Hannah Bower. A pleasure to meet you." Though she knew he wouldn't understand the exact wording, she hoped she'd conveyed the sarcasm thoroughly enough. She took his hand in her own, his dwarfing hers, and gave it a firm shake.

When he pulled back, she pointed to the pile of booklets and paper, giving him a questioning look. His scowl finally turned into an almost smile as he picked up the topmost booklet and presented it to her. She took it and opened up to the first page, clueless as to what to expect. After a minute of staring at the page, she started to giggle and put it down.

It was a children's writing workbook.

"Your grammar still needs work, Bower, and your sentences are too simple. You're sixteen, not five." Ibiki slapped the pages of clumsy kanji onto the table in disgust.

"Well, I am learning a whole new language here. The writing is a lot harder than the speaking, it's more complex than what I grew up with." At first, Hannah had sat and listened to Ibiki's critiques, but as she grew more comfortable with the language she started talking back. Articulating what she'd mean had been difficult, but she was determined to learn if it could clear up all the confusion surrounding those first few days.

"And where exactly was it that you grew up? No nation in the world -"

"-uses a different language, I know. You've only said it a hundred times. I grew up in a place called Montana, in a small town high in the mountains. Can we get back to the lesson now?" She deliberately changed the subject back to her awful writing sitting on the table.

"Fine, but this isn't the end of that conversation." Ibiki placed more paper in front of Hannah and leaned back to watch her scribble childishly across the page.

When he had started teaching her eight months ago, he had expected it to be some grueling farce. He hadn't expected her to show any interest or be cooperative in any way, but she'd surprised him. Hannah had leapt right in to the lessons, constantly asking questions and grinning when he entered her cell with more workbooks. She couldn't seem to get enough of them. She was always asking him how to say something or to clarify when he used something new. In eight months, she had progressed from beginner's level booklets to intermediate, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Hey, Mr. Ibiki, what's the date?" Hannah's sudden question, while not unexpected, was an odd one for her to ask. She never asked about the date.

"It's the fifth."

"Of what month?"

"May."

"What was the date when I arrived?"

"September seventh. Why do you want to know?"

"That means I'm actually seventeen, now. Has it really been eight months?"

"Yes. Focus on your work."

Hannah muttered something in her own language as she stared down at the scribbles she'd made, a thoughtful and sad look in her eyes. Whatever she'd just said clearly wasn't meant for anyone specific. She worked in silence a while longer, then handed the finished work to him for him to look over.

"Better. It still sucks, but it's better than before."

"You know, you're not a bad teacher. Even kinda likeable, when you get used to the gruff … what was the word...the outside of something?"

"Exterior."

"Exterior, thank you. Have you ever considered a career change?" She grinned at him, her white teeth standing out against her dark skin. She'd braced her forearms along the edge of the table, leaning forward just a bit. He smiled back, unable to resist how infectious it was.

"What makes you think I'm not already a teacher?" He waited for her to mention is scars, like most people did when it came to him and children.

"Well, I'm in a prison cell that you put me in, for one thing, and you bark orders at the other guys here like a boss. You either run whatever this place is, or you're just really powerful. Take your pick."

"That's enough for today. We'll pick up in a couple of days, when I get back." Ibiki gathered up the materials strewn over the tabletop and tucked them under his arm.

"Am I allowed to know anything about why you're leaving this time? I drove myself up the wall with crazy ideas the last time." Hannah relaxed back in her chair and laced her fingers behind her head, her curly hair forming a cloud around her face.

"You should reign in that imagination of yours." He left, locking the door behind him. He didn't think it was necessary now that he knew Hannah, but he still did it out of habit.

"I'll take that as a no, then." She stood up and stretched, working the stiffness out of her legs and back. Ibiki had finally undone the last of her restraints twelve sessions in to her lessons, and she was relieved. He'd even given her bedding so she wasn't freezing her ass off in a corner.

While their treatment of her left a lot to be desired, at least they weren't deliberately hurting her. She found she didn't really mind the neutral treatment; she was in a kind of jail, after all. She'd heard of other jails and prisons that treated the inmates like garbage and free labor, and she'd heard screaming more than once during her stay. She flopped across her bedding and studied the faint patterns in the ceiling, humming absently.

The sound of a key grating in the lock had her sitting up to meet whoever came through the door. She expected to someone she already knew, but instead found herself staring at an elderly man wearing a white robe over a red kimono. He wore a weird hat with the word "fire" written near the front edge, and a pipe was smoking in his hand.

"Hey."

"Hello. May I sit?" He gestured to the chair Ibiki usually sat in.

"Sure. It's a free country so far as I can tell, I can't tell you what to do." She stood up and sat across from him as he took his own seat and placed his hat on the table between them.

"How are your lessons with Ibiki? I trust they're going well, judging from how well you speak." He took a puff from the pipe in his hand, blowing the smoke toward the ceiling.

"So far, yeah. Mr. Ibiki isn't one to pull punches while he's teaching, so I make good progress. I'm still having trouble with the writing, but that should clear up with more...how do you say it? When you see something a lot?"

"Familiarity?"

"No, it's something you can get sick from, like being outside too long or falling in a cold river."

"Perhaps exposure?"

"Yes! That! See, I need more exposure to the vocabulary. My learning would go faster if I used it more." Hannah draped an arm across the back of the chair and sat sideways, crossing her ankles.

"What would you do if you lived in the village?" She didn't notice his pointed look as he took another puff from his pipe.

"Bake. I have a notebook full of recipes in my pack."

"A dream of yours?" The level of interest he was showing was getting suspicious.

"My mother's, actually. She never got to do it, never had the money or support." Hannah leaned forward and rested one arm on the table. "Why so interested?"

"I'm trying to decide if I should let you stay when we finally figure out if you're a threat."

She started laughing, one hand covering her mouth.

"How on earth could I be a threat to the village? I-" she started giggling again, unable to articulate just how ridiculous that idea was to her.

"I'm glad I could amuse you."

"I'm sorry," she took a deep, steadying breath, "It's just, I can't even fight. What am I going to do to an entire town?" She flopped against the back of her chair and threw up her hands as she spoke, her smile still curling her lips.

The elderly man gazed thoughtfully across the table, smoking his pipe calmly. They sat in silence for a while, observing each other. Unable to tell the passage of time in the windowless cell, it was impossible to know how long the two sat like that, watching without speaking or moving. Eventually, he stood up and placed his hat back on his head. The tobacco in his pipe had burned out, so he tucked it into his robe and turned to leave.

"You're Mr. Ibiki's boss, aren't you?" The sudden break in the silence was jarring.

"Yes, you could say that." He half turned when he answered her, allowing her to view him in profile. For a man wo looked as old as he did, he stood with a straight back. Hannah had only ever seen the elderly as hunched over and largely immobile, yet he stood with a strength that reminded her of her dad. This man could most definitely still kick some ass in his old age.

"Cool. Just curious. He never talks about, well, anything." She shrugged in her seat, the picture of nonchalant.

"Was that all you wanted to know?" He seemed to be a little perturbed that she wasn't showering him with dozens of questions.

"No, but I figure you'll be as tight-lipped as Mr. Ibiki, so there's no point asking." Her response was quick, and not entirely inaccurate. He had no plans to tell her anything he thought she didn't need to know.

"Good night, miss Bower."

The key grated in the lock once more and Hannah was left alone again, tapping her nails on the table rapidly.

We never introduced ourselves. Does he have Mr. Ibiki tell him about my progress? I feel like I just lost a fight or something.

Hannah stretched her arms above her head and yawned while Ibiki perused her latest assignment. The irony of the situation made her want to laugh, or at the very least chuckle. She'd never imagined her escape from home would be so similar to, well, home. She was in a completely different world, yet still went through the annoyance of schooling and grading.

"And why exactly are you smiling? You have yet to impress me with your work." Ibiki's droll comment sliced across the room, yet failed to kill her amusement.

"I was just thinking about the similarities between here and back home. I guess no matter where you go, you have to get an education of some kind. So, what's the verdict this time? Am I good enough to get out of here now?" She returned to her usual seat across from Ibiki with a plop, crossing her arms on the tabletop and leaning forward.

He glanced at her over the tops of the pages in his hand, staring her down for a moment. He studied them a bit longer, then tapped the edges on the table to tidy the stack and set them down.

"You've improved a great deal these last few weeks, and I'm inclined to let you out considering the point you made previously with an old friend. You were right when you said exposure to natural conversation would help you learn, but considering the circumstances of your arrival, I'm understandably distrustful of letting you loose in the village."

"Yeah, understandably and all. Dude, if I was dangerous, you'd know by now. I wouldn't be able to do any damage even if I wanted to, as I'm sure you've noticed. I almost killed myself trying to get away from those masked asshats when I got here, do you really think I'd be able to wreak havoc in a village full of people like them? Even the pets could kick my ass."

"Oh, really? Even the pets?" Ibiki sounded amused as he leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin against his folded hands.

"Yes, even the pets. Don't think I didn't notice the dog that Kakashi had. Cute little guy, though."

Ibiki snickered, thinking about Pakkun's usual response when people called him cute.

"Did you just laugh? Holy crap! The drill sergeant has a sense of humor after all!" She sat back and grinned.

"Of course, I have a sense of humor. My line of work doesn't have much call for humor, but I do appreciate a good joke." A faint smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.

"I don't think I actually told you a joke, though."

"Maybe not, but you did say something I found amusing. Pakkun isn't too fond of being called cute."

"Is that his name? How cute!"

Ibiki gave her a stern look before standing and moving toward the door. He turned back as he opened it, looking at Hannah expectantly. She cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to speak. Two could play the silent communication game.

"Well, are you coming? Or would you rather stay here for the rest of your life." One eyebrow lifted towards his bandanna.

"Hell yes. Not that you haven't been a wonderful host, but any longer in this room and I'm going to look like one of the Simpsons from jaundice." She hopped up excitedly, eager to finally get out and breathe some fresh air.

They walked in silence as he led her through a maze of stone hallways and up several different flights of stairs. After what felt like a half an hour, she realized that without Ibiki, she would have gotten hopelessly lost within the labyrinthine corridors of whatever building they were in.

Eventually the pair reached the ground floor, and she could see bright afternoon sunlight streaming through the small windows dotting the walls. The door stood open, letting the breeze circulate through the room and sweep away the stagnant air. Hannah near vibrated with how badly she wanted to be outdoors again. Staying locked in that small stone room had only been tolerable because of Ibiki and his lessons in what equates to their English.

There was someone standing just inside the open door, but the sunlight pouring around their body made it hard to see who exactly. The figure looked masculine, from the way they stood to the shape of their shoulders, and a high ponytail swept down past their shoulders.

He stepped forward to greet Ibiki, the two equally stone-faced while exchanging pleasantries.

"It's not often you ask me here, Ibiki. Rarer still that you ask a favor. I take it this is the girl you mentioned?" He didn't bother to speak to Hannah herself, for whatever reason, making her bristle at his rudeness.

"Yes, this is Hannah Bower." Ibiki's short response sounded a little chafed as well. "Your assistance is appreciated, Inoichi."

"It damn well better be appreciated. I just got the shop going, after all, and I won't have her making a mess of things."

Wow, this guy sounds like a jerk! What am I gonna do, burn the place down?

"Relax, Inoichi. She's about as dangerous as a bowl of rice. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Hannah cleared her throat and crossed her arms, glaring up at the two of them with clear annoyance.

"I am standing right here, you know. I can speak for myself perfectly fine, and if he doesn't want me at whatever shop you guys are talking about, I'll find somewhere else to work. I'm not entirely helpless, I'm just new to the area." She huffed and switched to propping her hands on her hips, resting her weight on one leg. Inoichi stared at her for a moment before addressing Ibiki again.

"Didn't you say she didn't speak Japanese?" He sounded surprised and a little impressed.

"Yes, almost a year ago, when she just arrived. She's been studying diligently for the last eleven months. She almost sounds like a villager, doesn't she?" A dash of pride slipped into Ibiki's voice at the last bit, and she couldn't help but feel a little herself.

"Almost. She has a place to stay?"

"Yes, it's been handled. Well? Will she be working with you and your family?"

Inoichi seemed to mull over the decision for a minute, but Hannah suspected he had already made his decision. He finally heaved a clearly over-dramatized sigh and shrugged.

"Well, I suppose I can let her work at the shop, at least until she figures out what she wants to do for herself. With how quickly she seems to learn, she could easily catch up to other shinobi of her age." He almost seemed to be smiling as he spoke, though his face showed little sign of it. Maybe Inoichi wasn't as much of a jerk as Hannah had first thought.

"Cool, but polite pass on being a shinobi. I'm more of a stay-at-home type, like home-making and baking and all – Oh! Hey, do you guys still have my backpack?"

While she was antsy being so close to fresh air and sunlight, she couldn't ignore the fact that all of her possessions in this world had been technically confiscated. She didn't really care about most of it, but her mother's old recipe book had been in her bag and she really wanted that back. It was one of the few things she'd been able to save from her dad's grief-stricken rampage when her mother had passed. She'd been adding to and editing the recipes as she experimented with them during her free time.

"Oh, yes. It's already at the residence we've arranged for you. We couldn't find any information on the village in them, so you were permitted to keep them." It was said so offhand, as though he frequently rifled through people's things. He was reluctant to say that no one had been able to decipher them at all, or that the letters had been completely alien to his entire team. It was better not to let her know.

"Oh. You know, I could have just told you that. Those are my school notes, to help me study at home. I know the shorthand looks weird, but it works for me. I probably won't need them now, though, since I doubt I'll be going back." Her voice trailed off as she followed that train of thought. "Anywho, lets get going! I want to get a good look at the village, now that I'm not running around like a panicked chicken. And I miss the sunlight." She skipped out the door, pausing in the street to wait for Inoichi and Ibiki to take the lead.

"It just occurred to me that I don't know where I'm going." Her bare feet scuffed at the dirt road, sketching abstract patterns as she enjoyed the feeling of warm earth underfoot.

The two men silently took the lead, leading Hannah from the secluded interrogation building to the heart of the village. People smiled and greeted them warmly for the most part, shooting furtive glances at Hannah before turning back to their work or simply ignoring her. They walked through the marketplace, pointing out Inoichi's flower shop where Hannah would be working, and moved on to the more residential areas. The number of people out and about dwindled here, and it was much quieter.

They led her to a moderately sized building that appeared to be an apartment complex. Most of the windows were dark, and the units on the ground floor looked unused from a cursory glance. The whole building gave off an empty, lifeless vibe, sending a shiver down her spine. It felt wrong for a building like this to be sitting in the midst of such a vibrant town.

"Why do I get the feeling that nobody wants to live in this building? It screams abandonment." She wrapped her arms around her ribs and took a step back. She couldn't shake the creepy feeling the empty windows gave her.

"Because no one wants to live here. It's a well-kept building with decent rooms, but people are put off by the idea of living so close to Naruto." Inoichi said the name like it was poison in his mouth.

"Why would people not like living near whoever this Naruto is?"

Inoichi and Ibiki shared a look, as though they were having a silent debate on whether they should tell her something big. It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed Ibiki won and they dodged the question.

"There was an incident a few years ago that he gets blamed for. Come on, your room is here on the first floor. First door on the left, can't miss it. Let's go get you settled in." Ibiki pressed a hand into the small of her back to propel her forward, the fakest smile she'd ever seen plastered on his face.

"You know, that creepy fake smile of yours doesn't help much. It makes this feel like the premise of a horror story, where the idiotic suburban couple buys a murder house full of angry ghosts."

"How did she get such a wide vocabulary? Did you just hand her a dictionary and tell her to figure it out?" Inoichi's change of subject helped lessen the level of creepy that permeated the situation.

"Well, she did ask."

"Seriously? You just read a dictionary? Like a novel?" The disbelief in his voice echoed down the empty hallway.

Hannah chuckled and nodded, giving him a cheery, "Yup". The three of them entered the small apartment, fanning out as they passed the doorway. Her backpack sat on the table in the center of the room, not quite as neatly packed as it had been. She wandered into the kitchenette, opening the cabinets and getting a feel for the space she had to work with. It wasn't as much counter space as she was used to, but still workable.

"Is the space to your liking, your majesty?"

Hannah knew he was being sarcastic, but she wasn't quite in the mood for jokes for some reason. All Inoichi's comment did was rile up the urge to punch him.

"Oh, I suppose it will have to do on such short notice. I did expect more, though, given you had nearly a full year to plan for my housing arrangements. Perhaps a proper kitchen is a bit much to ask of a small village such as this." She threw her best snobby aristocrat look his way over her shoulder. "Strange, however, that you knew the proper way to address me, as I don't recall telling you who, precisely, you are speaking to."

Both of them stood in awkward silence, unsure if she was joking or serious. She let the tension hang in the air for a while longer, before cracking a smile and leaning her hip against the lower cabinet.

"I'm just screwing with you, guys. The apartment is fine. Thanks for letting me stay here, instead of throwing me to the wolves. Do you mind if I just explore the town on my own for today? I need to make sure I know how to get back here without asking for help."

"I don't see a problem with that. You are essentially a member of Konohagakure now, so feel free." Ibiki dropped the key to her new apartment on the table by her bag and left, Inoichi close behind.

She sat in the quiet apartment for a minute, absorbing the fact that she was basically an adult from that point on. The idea didn't seem to want to stick. With a huff, she explored the rest of the apartment, finding a chest full of clothes in the bedroom. The bathroom was a little more archaic than she was used to, but she could still figure it out. While small, it was still in good condition, just as Ibiki had said. The fact that they had given her clothes was the only thing she found somewhat disturbing, but when you make a living as a ninja, it must be easy to figure out someone's sizes.

She found herself back in the kitchen and dining area, one hand on the handle of the fridge. While she hoped there was food, she already felt bad about having a whole apartment to herself with no clear instructions on whether she needed to pay rent or how. It almost felt like a video game, starting in a house you don't remember buying but know is yours all the same. She yanked the door open, finding to her pleasant surprise some very basic foodstuffs. Milk, eggs, cheese, and some thickly sliced meat sat on the bottom shelf.

Curious now, she opened the cabinets, too. She found a single set of dishes for one person, several cups of instant ramen, and a loaf of bread wrapped in cheesecloth. Taking a closer look, she noticed there wasn't a proper stove or oven, just a hotplate and a small pot.

Well, I guess they don't expect me to cook much real food. I can make this work, though.

Satisfied with the apartment at the moment, she snatched up the keys and bolted. Still barefoot, she started at a brisk walk, getting progressively faster until she was flat out running along the outer edges of the village. The protective wall she'd thought so menacing at first rose up beside her as she ran, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair and the dirt on her feet.

She may have hated her dad's harsh survival training, but she had loved being outside. Staying locked away while Ibiki taught her how to communicate was at once torture and necessary. She worked her way deeper into the city, slowing down and forcing herself to take note of all the intersections. The whole premise of her asking to be alone was to familiarize herself with the town, so it would be redundant if she didn't actually do it and wound up lost.

She found herself standing outside of Inoichi's flower shop, studying the different types of blooms. The gentle fragrances reminded her of her mother's garden, and she wondered if there was somewhere she could start one of her own. She would need to explore the rest of her building and ask about regulations.

"Would you like some flowers?"

A small girl with the same ponytail that Inoichi wore stared up at her, her bangs swept over one eye. She smiled brightly, waiting for a response.

"Actually, I'm just exploring the village today. My name is Hannah. What's yours?" She knelt down so her eyes would be level with the little girl's and smiled back.

"I'm Ino. Are you new here?" She took Hannah's proffered hand and shook it excitedly.

"Yes, I am. I just spoke to Inoichi about working here, actually, but I don't know much about flowers. Can I count on you to help me out, Ino?"

Ino grinned from ear to ear and nodded emphatically, then dashed inside. Hannah stood and looked through the window, watching Ino chatter excitedly to her parents. She smiled at the warmth shared between the family and walked away.

She decided to head back to her new apartment and take a shower, since the last time she'd had a proper bath was the night before she ran into the masked people that scared her stupid. She'd been allowed to wash up in her little stone room, but sponge baths were far from satisfying.

A shaggy blonde mop of hair sprinted past her, bumping her hip, quickly followed by an angry shopkeeper.

"You get back here, you little thief! Naruto! You pay for that, you grungy gremlin!"

The little blonde boy disappeared in the crowd of taller adults, and the shopkeeper was left fuming in the street. She picked up her pace, determined to get back in time to see where the boy went. She was sure that he was the same boy she'd run in to a year ago, and wanted, needed, to make sure he was alright. Now that she knew his name, she was certain something was very wrong in the way they treated him.

Hannah rounded the last corner before reaching her new home in time to see a figure dash past a window on the top floor. She nearly sprinted up the stairs, her feet thudding heavily against the smooth wood. When she reached the top floor, she started trying doors, hoping he might have forgotten to lock the door in his rush to reach a hiding place.

The last door she tried swung open with a faint squeal, leading to an apartment that more resembled one of her brothers' rooms. Clothes were strewn across the entirety of the dwelling, and the kitchenette was filled with old ramen cups and dirty dishes. The trash needed to go out pretty badly, and the whole apartment smelled like dirty gym socks.

She held one hand over her mouth and nose and delved deeper into the small living space. The bedroom wasn't much better, nor the bathroom, save for the lack of food and dishware. Mold was starting to grow in the corners of the bathroom near the ceiling. It looked like no one came to check on the little boy's well being outside of when he was in public. It seemed they didn't have anything like Child Protective Services.

As she searched for Naruto, a lump formed in the pit of her stomach. The more she saw of his living situation the sadder she grew for him. It was clear that no one cared about him enough to really look after him. He was so small, there was no way he could take care of himself properly. The poor thing looked like he was only five years old, he couldn't be left by himself like that.

She heard something outside the kitchen, and realized there was a kind of balcony connected to the apartment. She moved slowly, trying to be as quiet as she could, and peered through the window in an attempt to see what had made the noise. She spotted a head full of blonde hair huddled next to the door.

She backed away and cautiously reached for the knob of the door, but paused and decided to knock instead of just yanking it open.

She tapped the wood frame gently, just loud enough to be heard, and waited. She stood for a few minutes, then knocked again, making it clear that she wasn't going to simply leave if he ignored her. This time, he opened the door, just enough to see who was on the other side. He looked surprised to see Hannah, like he had been expecting somebody else entirely.

He swung the door open and stood facing her, his feet planted like he was expecting a fight. She smiled and extended her right hand, leaning down so he could reach her.

"Hi! I'm Hannah. I think we've met before, but I never got your name or gave you mine. I'll be living downstairs starting today, so I hope we can get along!"

He eyed her hand suspiciously as he took hold of it and shook.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Are you really living downstairs?" He hadn't returned her smile and watched her like a wary animal.

"Yup. Feel free to drop in whenever I'm home. I've never lived alone before, so the quiet is going to drive me up a wall. Oh, and I hope you don't mind leftovers, cuz I'm going to be giving you all the extra food I make. I'm used to cooking for half a dozen people that eat like horses, so it's going to take a while to adjust the portions for just one or two."

He seemed to perk up at that, visibly tamping down on his excitement. The idea of a home cooked meal clearly appealed to him quite a bit.

"Really? You don't mind? No conditions?" His eyes were starting to light up, and a smile was creeping on to his face.

"Well, one condition," He deflated a little, the faint smile gone now, "You taste test new recipes for me. I like to bake, and experiment with some pretty weird flavor combos. I know I like them, but I need someone else's opinion with the weirder stuff."

"You got a deal!" He was brimming with excitement now, and jumped forward to hug Hannah around the legs, almost knocking her off her feet. He was small, but boy was he strong.

"Oh, yeah. What was that guy mad at you for earlier? When you were running from the market?"

He mumbled into her thigh and looked away from her face, red creeping across his cheeks.

"What was that?"

"I…took some apples…"

He looked extremely uncomfortable and let go of her to close the balcony door. It was clear that he knew what he'd done was wrong, but it was hard for Hannah to blame him in light of his living conditions. She sighed and rested her weight on one leg, bracing her hands on her hips. He turned back to her, prepared for a lecture or some kind of punishment.

"Well, it's not like I can do anything about it. I'm not your mom, so it's not really my place to discipline you. And you clearly know it wasn't right, so there's nothing to be done."

He stared at her like she'd grown two heads, blinking owlishly. Her behavior was completely different from how the rest of the village treated him, so he wasn't prepared for her friendly and relaxed manner.

"Se- seriously? You're not gonna… lecture me, or drag me back to pay for them? You're just… letting it go?" His voice dripped disbelief.

Hannah shrugged and turned around, examining the kitchenette. She could almost feel the way Naruto cringed as she took in the sorry state of his apartment.

"Do you want some help cleaning up a bit? I know it sounds rude, but this place needs some attention." She tossed the comment back over her shoulder, barely able to see him through the thick mass of curls pouring down her back.

He nodded emphatically and started picking up his clothes. Hannah started bagging up the excess trash that couldn't fit into the trashcan and tied it off. It looked like he hadn't cleaned, really cleaned, in over a month. Soon they had all of his clothes bundled up and ready for the wash, and most of the trash was bagged up. He just needed to wash the handful of dishes he had and scrub the bathroom, then they'd be done.

"So, I just realized I have no idea where to take all the trash in this building, or where to do my laundry."

Naruto looked up at her, then started laughing.

"Wow, you really are new here, aren't you? I can show you where to go. Come on."

He grabbed on of the bags of trash and hauled it over his shoulder. Hannah grabbed the other two and followed him downstairs and out the back. There was an alley behind the building with a pair of large bins along one side. Naruto swung the bag around and up, throwing it into one of the bins, then dusted off his hands and beamed at Hannah. She chuckled and tossed the other two in after it, ruffling his hair afterward.

Next, they hauled his laundry down to the courtyard, also behind the building but walled off from the alley. There were several large wooden basins set up next to water pumps, washboards leaning against their sides.

"You have any soap?"

"It's over here."

"Cool. Let's get scrubbing."

Within minutes they were elbow deep in soapy water, clumsily rubbing his clothes against the washboards and fighting to see past the mountains of suds. Naruto was almost hidden by all the bubbles and kept getting them on his chin, making him look like a tiny old man. She couldn't help but giggle, which only made him grumpier.

He was trying to wash a pair of his pants when he slipped and splashed suds and water onto Hannah, giving her a new bubble apron. They paused, staring at the sheet of suds sliding down the front of her shirt. Naruto looked like he was about to cry, he was so horrified. He flinched when she started giggling, and soon they were both laughing from their guts.

"You know, this isn't what I had in mind when I wanted to get a new apron." She brushed most of the suds off and hefted the wad of wet clothes into a basket.

They spent the rest of the day washing and hanging Naruto's laundry and goofing around like the kids they are.

Hannah woke up to someone pounding on the front door. The walls felt like they were shaking under the force of each blow.

She stumbled groggily to her door and pulled it open, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She stood nose to sternum with Inoichi, who was trying to push his way inside. The shoulders of his shirt were damp and mud stuck to the soles of his boots, which he tracked into the apartment.

"The shop opens at eight, so you need to be up and bright eyed by seven to help out with setting up for the day. Make sure you set your alarm and eat breakfast before you get there."

He plopped into a chair at the table and crossed his ankles, watching her expectantly.

"'Yeah, sure, come on in and track mud everywhere. Oh, and good morning. How about I make a pot of coffee for you while you get ready for work. Oh, thank you, Mr. Inoichi, that's very kind of you, thanks for the wake-up call, I'll only be a minute.' You know, most people ask if they can come in before they make a mess. Or wipe the mud off their feet." She gave him her best Queen Latifa impression and shuffled back to her bedroom to get dressed.

All of the clothes they had given her were black or grey, which seemed really dull to be working in a flower shop. At least they fit fairly well, so the chances of a wardrobe malfunction were minimal. She came back out while she tied her hair back with a bandanna.

"Alright, lets go. I take it it's raining?" She gestured to the wet patches on his shoulders.

"Well, aren't we snarky today? I better not see that at the shop, it's highly disrespectful. And yes, it is raining." He scowled as he stood and made for the front door.

"Disrespectful is barging in to someone's home uninvited and ordering them around like you have some right to dictate their life outside of the workplace. I don't want to see that outside of the shop. I spent my whole life being bossed around everywhere I went and I'll be damned if I let it happen here." She breezed past him with her shoulders squared and her chin out.

They dashed through the light rain, shaking off what they could as they stepped under the awning. Ino met them with towels and smiles.

"Thank you for shopping with us, and have a wonderful day!" Hannah beamed at the customer she had just helped as they left the store.

She'd been working there for a month now, and while she didn't quite know what all of the flowers and their arrangements meant, she had nearly mastered customer service and the maintenance duties the shop required. She studied the botany books Ino had leant her, likely without her dad's knowledge or permission, with extreme diligence. She hadn't realized quite so many flowers were edible.

The bell jingled above the door as someone came into the store, and Hannah turned to see who had arrived. Strangely, she couldn't see anybody. She set down the vase of roses she was holding and moved closer to the door, peering cautiously around the corners of the shelves before she fully faced the aisles. She didn't find who had entered the shop until she reached the door itself.

Naruto was clutching a small bundle in his hands and stood nervously just inside the door, afraid of being reprimanded and kicked out of the shop. His shoulders were hunched tensely and his searched wherever he could see, which wasn't much considering how small he was.

"Oh, hi, kiddo! How's your day been?"

He jumped at the sound of Hannah's voice, but recovered quickly and gave her a weak smile.

"It's been okay, I guess. I watched some of the shinobi training in the practice field for a while, then I got hungry. I thought I'd bring you something to eat, too. You usually eat around this time, right?" He held out the bundle in his hands and took a step closer.

Hannah gave him a big smile and took the bundle, then ushered him up to the counter at the back of the store.

"Hey, Ms. Yamanaka, do you mind if I take my lunch now?" She called to the stockroom, where Ms. Yamanaka, Inoichi's wife, was taking inventory.

She sent Ino out to watch the shop and gave Hannah the okay for her lunch break. She took Naruto's hand and they went over to the academy training grounds to watch the young shinobi-in-training.

"You have the best timing, kiddo. I was really getting hungry. Let's see what we have; half a loaf of bread, a small block of soft-ish cheese, some dried meat, and some apples and pears. Wow, this looks really good. Healthy, too." Naruto grinned at the praise, small though it was to Hannah.

She ruffled his hair before slicing up the bread and cheese for sandwiches. She made one for Naruto first, then her own, and they sat in relative silence while they ate and watched the older kids flub their knife throwing. They winced in unison at a particularly bad throw that wound up with the knife almost hitting the instructor in charge.

"Ooh, somebody just had an epic fail." Naruto giggled at her comment, almost choking on the last bite of his sandwich.

It seemed like the student heard them, though, because his next throw went so wild it almost hit her. She was saved by Naruto's reflexes.

"Hannah!" He pushed hard into her shoulder, keeping his own head low, and something shot past her cheek and thudded into the building behind her.

She whipped her head around to see a knife embedded in the wall, around level with where her head would have been. She looked back at the practice field to see the student smirking and the instructor making his way over to where she and Naruto sat. Naruto was talking but she couldn't quite register what he was saying as she was still processing that some little twerp had just thrown a lethal weapon at her face.

Suddenly the instructor pulled up short and Naruto fell silent. Hannah could feel her face getting warm and knew she looked very angry at that moment. She strode over to the wall and yanked the knife free, then walked up to the edge of the training field. She wasn't allowed past the edge of the field, since she wasn't a student, but she still had a clear path to the students and targets.

She made eye contact with the little brat who had thrown the knife at her, then turned her attention to the target that was about the same distance away from her. While the trainees were only throwing around fifty meters, she was almost one hundred meters away from the targets. She took the knife in her hand by the tip of the blade and pulled her arm back past her ear. She waited for the wind to die down before throwing it as hard as she could, boosted by the anger coursing through her body.

The knife sailed across the field and slammed into the target, burying itself halfway to the hilt, just off center of a bullseye. She glared at the boy one last time before going back to her seat beside Naruto. She picked up an apple and bit into it, chewing angrily for a minute, then took a deep breath and let it go.

"Well, that was new. I won't ever be able to make a shot like that again." She looked down at Naruto, who had started to go pale. The color was slowly coming back to his face.

"How…how did you do that?"

"You know, I have no idea. I've thrown knives before with my family, but I was never any good at it. That was the first time I'd ever made a shot like that, and I'm a little stunned myself."

"Do you think I could ever do something like that? That was so cool!" He was starting to bounce lightly.

"If you practice enough, yeah. That's how just about all skills are developed, with practice." She pulled him in for a sort of side hug and dropped a kiss on top of his head.

"What did you want for dinner tonight?"

He hopped up onto his knees so his face was almost level with hers, eyes sparkling.

"Can we get Ichiraku Ramen tonight? Please?" He nearly vibrated where he sat with the excitement running through his little body.

"You bet! Ichiraku has the best ramen in town!"

Hannah glanced down at her watch and almost cringed.

"Alright, kiddo, I'll see you when I get off work. I gotta run if I don't want to be late getting back. Stay safe, and thanks for bringing me lunch." She planted another kiss on top of his head, then snatched a pear and started jogging back to the flower shop.

Ms. Yamanaka gave her the stink eye as she burst through the door, but refrained from commenting on her close call and set her to tending the flowers outside the shop.

The rest of the day went smoothly, with the usual foot traffic and pleasantries. Just before the shop was scheduled to close, the instructor from the academy training walked in. He looked around for a minute until he saw Hannah watering a potted orchid in the back of the shop.

He waved at her and stood by the counter, waiting for her to finish what she was doing. She wiped her hands on the small towel she had secured to her hip as she walked behind the counter and smiled.

"What can I help you with?"

"I'm not here for flowers, miss, I just came to apologize for my student's behavior this afternoon."

"Oh, the knife thing? Don't worry about it. No one got hurt, and I'm pretty sure he won't try it again after being one upped like that."

"It's still an issue, miss. We can't have our students thinking it's okay to attack people just because, or that they won't be disciplined when they break the rules."

"I'm sure you've already handled the disciplinary issue, and I assume it was appropriate given the situation. I personally don't care, but I'll bet money that he's going to get reamed by his parents when he gets home. Kids are emotional and impulsive, they do really stupid stuff when they get mad or embarrassed."

"You are being surprisingly calm about this. He did throw a lethal weapon at your head, which would have hit if Naruto hadn't pushed you out of harms way. You could be in the hospital or even dead right now, yet you're just brushing it off like it's nothing."

"Well, I'm kind of desensitized to near death experiences at this point. Especially when I think about my first few days in the area. A knife at my head is way less scary than almost drowning in an underground river." She shuddered at the memory of the icy water swallowing her body and sapping all of her warmth.

"You are one strange woman, miss…"

"My name is Hannah. Hannah Bower. And you are?"

"Iruka Umino. You can just call me Iruka."

"Nice to meet you, Iruka, but the shop is closing now, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Of course. I wouldn't want to delay you. Good night, Miss Bower."

"Call me Hannah, and have a good night Iruka. I'll see you around." She waved him out the door and locked it behind him.

"Hannah and Iruka, sitting in a tree, k-i-s…uh…Are you and Mister Iruka going out, Hannah?" Ino popped up over the counter, a cheeky grin plastered across her little face.

"No, we just met today. I don't think I'll be seeing much of him for a while. He teaches at the academy, from what I can tell. Besides, he's probably too old for me anyway. I'm still only seventeen, you know." Hannah's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned in closer to Ino.

She scooped Ino off of the counter and ushered her back to the stockroom, following close behind.

Mrs. Yamanaka was finishing up the inventory as Inoichi locked up the back door. They looked up when she set Ino on the stairs leading to their living space, hiding smiles at the way Hannah and Ino got along like sisters. She nodded at the two of them before leaving through the front door, Inoichi re-locking it behind her. Naruto was waiting for her across the street, perched on the roof of the opposite building.

"You do realize that I'm not going to be held responsible if you fall and break your leg, right?" She gave him a stern look that melted into a grin when he climbed back to the ground.

"Yeah, but you'll still take me to the hospital." He returned her grin with a toothy smile of his own, scratching at the band of the goggles on his head.

"Those are new. You get them after lunch?" Hannah ruffled the hair that stuck up around the goggles, leaning down to place a kiss on his temple. He slouched and turned away to hide his red face, having now grown accustomed to the frequent shows of affection Hannah gave him, and by extension embarrassed. He had rapidly turned into the bright little boy he should be at his age, but Hannah couldn't help feeling he was still hiding how he really felt, like he was trying to be okay for her when he wasn't.

"Yeah, I saw them in the window, and had some extra money this month. I figured I need to get used to wearing something on my forehead for when i become a ninja, right? What do you think? Do they look okay?" He adjusted them a bit as he waited for her response.

"I love them. They make you look badass." He grinned up at her and took off down the street, eager to get to Ichiraku's.

He was already bouncing in his seat when she reached the little shop, and had already ordered for her, too. Ichiraku greeted her as she sat next to Naruto, stilling his bouncing with a hand on the top of his head.

"Easy there, kiddo. You might break the stool with all the bouncing."

"Oh, sorry. I'm excited, Ichiraku has the best ramen in town!"

"I know. We eat here pretty often, you know."

The two of them joked and laughed all through dinner, and later into the night than they should have. By the time they made it home, both were having difficulty keeping their eyes open, and Naruto wound up staying at Hannah's.


End file.
